True Grit 
Three Generations of Texas Wind Men The Bucket List
Photograph by Randal Ford
Amanda says: Love the new Texas Monthly iPhone Apps. Could you make an App for the Bucket List with links to the places on a map (and maybe even space where we can add our own items to the Bucket List)? It might also be fun to let us include pictures of us experiencing the different items in the list... Just a suggestion. (June 13th, 2011 at 1:57am)
Life is too short not to live it in Texas. But recently we asked ourselves an uncomfortable question: If we had only one year left on earth, what would we do in the Lone Star State? A spirited conversation ensued, writers and editors submitted their picks, and more than two hundred ideas poured forth. We overlooked suggestions like seeing the Alamo or going to the Capitol because we assumed that everyone has already done those things (you have done them, right?). Instead, passionate arguments were made for who makes the best barbecue, which books to read, and where to see Willie Nelson perform. In the end, we asked the staff—and a few friends—to write about the 63 most interesting ideas in the bunch, which are numbered but not ranked. Of course, we fully expect you to have many more than twelve months to complete this list, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get started right away.
1. Take the Ultimate Road Trip
When you get tired of hearing about how big Texas is, go find out for yourself. Drive from Dalhart, in the Panhandle, to Brownsville, where Texas, Mexico, and the Gulf converge. Depending on your route, it’s about 842 miles. You’ll travel down the Staked Plains toward Amarillo, heading south by southeast to Lubbock, Big Spring, and San Angelo, lulled by a symphony of wind and space. Then weave through the Hill Country toward San Antonio, basking in the dry crackle of history. From there you’ll head to Corpus Christi, down U.S. 77 through Kingsville and the King Ranch. There is no more desolate—or fascinating—stretch than the final hundred miles or so to the Rio Grande Valley. After you arrive Lord-knows-how-many-hours later, cross the international bridge into Matamoros and treat yourself to a margarita. You’ve earned it. Gary Cartwright
2. Eat Barbecue at Snow’s, in Lexington
Eating at Snow’s is like scaling Mount Everest: Only the hardy and fully prepared reach the summit. Snow’s is in the middle of nowhere, about an hour east of Austin. Furthermore, the window of opportunity is minuscule, because it is open only on Saturday mornings. On top of that, Snow’s septuagenarian guru of ’cue, Tootsie Tomanetz, cooks a limited number of briskets, chickens, pork ribs, and pork butt. When they’re gone, they’re gone. So get up before dawn, make a thermos of coffee, drive to Lexington, and wait your turn. Your reward is the most celestial barbecue in Texas—that and the knowledge that you are one of the few, the brave, who have summited Snow’s. 516 Main, 979-773-4640. Patricia Sharpe
3. See Willie at Floore’s, in Helotes
There are no bad shows at the John T. Floore Country Store, and there’s no bad place in all the world to see Willie Nelson. Still, there’s nothing like watching Texas’s greatest entertainer on his home court. Willie started playing here regularly in the sixties, making Floore’s—and not Austin’s long-gone Armadillo—the refuge where he sloughed off Nashville expectations and grew into the singer/songwriter/holy man who would win over the planet. He still plays the old dance patio about once a year, and when he eases into “Yesterday’s Wine,” you’ll be able to look up at the same Hill Country stars he once dreamed on while downing the same cold Lone Star, homemade tamales, and fresh baked bread. It’s like a night in history. 14492 Old Bandera Rd., 210-695-8827. John Spong
4. Play Chicken Shit Bingo, in Austin
At just before four each Sunday afternoon, grandmas, hipsters, middle-aged lovers of the two-step, and kiddos who haven’t caught up to the legal drinking age start to fill Ginny’s Little Longhorn Saloon. They happily cram the dimly lit hole-in-the-wall just as Dale Watson begins his set. But the real reason they’ve flooded this dive is to play chicken shit bingo. At Ginny’s, there is no spinning basket of lettered and numbered balls, no elderly gentleman calling out squares. There’s just a piece of plywood, gridded with boxes numbered 1 through 54, sprinkled with feed and hand-torn bread, and enclosed with chicken wire. For $2 you buy a number and hope that the “caller,” an auburn-feathered hen named Sissy, eats enough of that feed to, ahem, relieve herself on your square. If she does, you win the pot of money, which just might be enough to buy you and your friends a chicken dinner. 5434 Burnet Rd., 512-458-1813. Stacy Hollister
5. See the world in San Antonio by Flaco Jiménez
I love to experience the incredible view from the top of the Tower of the Americas. It was built for the World’s Fair in 1968 and is 750 feet tall, making it the tenth-tallest building in Texas. The view is amazing—you can gaze from the Alamo down the River Walk and peer into the hazy distance of South Texas. Stay for dinner in the revolving restaurant and watch the sun set and the city begin to sparkle with lights. Someday, maybe the Texas Tornados will play there. Jiménez is a legendary Tejano accordionist and member of the Texas Tornados.
6. Visit the State Fair of Texas, in Dallas by Bob Phillips
It was the autumn of 1963 and my best friends, Charles McCommas and Greg Chitsey, and I were all twelve years old. Dallas of the fifties still lingered. It was an innocent time for us and the world. That would all change in November, but on that day we were simply young boys in search of adventure. We got free tickets and Friday off from school for State Fair of Texas Day. Better yet, our parents had decided it would be okay for us to go alone. It was the most freedom we had ever enjoyed in our short lives. I still get those feelings every time I go to the state fair today. Big Tex! The midway! Fried food! The rush of memories and the sense of independence from that day nearly fifty years ago still come back. Phillips has been the host of the television program Texas Country Reporter since 1972.
7. Explore Palo Duro Canyon
At 120 miles long, about 20 miles wide, and 800 feet deep, Palo Duro Canyon is big enough to make any Texan proud. You can explore it by car, on foot, or on horseback and take in the stunning hues of purple, gray, and orange rock mixed in with the greens of mesquite and juniper trees. The canyon also provides the dramatic backdrop for the musical Texas, which runs from June to August and tells the story of the struggles and victories of the Panhandle settlers. The amphitheater fills with people from all over the world wanting to learn about the state and its myth. And nothing says Texas like a horseman carrying the Lone Star flag and a brilliant fireworks show. Patricia Busa McConnico
8. Buy A Pair Of Custom Boots
The happiest of all the many booted Texans are those who can slip on a pair made by hand just for them. With the leather (calfskin to crocodile), design (gentleman rancher or dance hall dandy), and artistry (spare or ornate) all of your choosing, custom boots can be an outward expression of your inner cowboy or cowgirl. And they’re assured to fit like gloves hewed from warm butter. Well-thought-of bootmakers abound in Texas, whether it’s cobbler to the stars Lee Miller, at Austin’s Texas Traditions, who apprenticed under bootmaking legend Charlie Dunn (see the song “Charlie Dunn,” by Jerry Jeff Walker); San Angelo’s M. L. Leddy’s (also in Fort Worth); El Paso’s Rocketbuster Boots; or San Antonio’s Little’s Boots. Find a reputable shop and get in for a fitting. Soon enough you’ll be standing taller, truly well-heeled and happy in your very own custom creations. David Courtney
9. Float A River
You might get sunburned. You might scrape your butt. And you might lose a beer or three when your cooler overturns. But is there a better way to defy the torrid summer heat than splayed across an inner tube on a spring-fed waterway? There’s the Guadalupe (light rapids and celebratory college students), the Comal (blessedly short), the San Marcos (so clean you could drink it), the Brazos (nice and slow), and the Frio (secluded and icy cold). Whichever river you choose (and whichever of its numerous outfitters; find a list at tubetexas.com), bobbing lazily for a few hours restores belief that life in triple-digit temperatures is actually possible. At least until you reach the take-out point and have to wait for the van ride back. Katharyn Rodemann
10. Sip a Dublin Dr Pepper
It is ten o’clock in the morning, and I won’t lie to you: I am drinking one right now. The ice-cold eight-ounce bottle proudly proclaims the signature ingredient, Imperial Pure Cane Sugar. No need for the high-fructose corn syrup that has become part of the standard formula for Dr Peppers elsewhere. That simple tweak makes a Dublin—named for the city whose bottling plant has been producing the Texas-born refreshment since 1891—a throwback indeed. I drank my first one in elementary school. After I returned home from a hard day of spelling tests and multiplication tables, Mom poured a small amount in my Billy Joe Dupree mug as part of my snack. I’ve been hooked ever since. And with two more left in my refrigerator today, you can guess what I’ll be doing at two and four. Brian D. Sweany
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